Summary

The composition of the American workforce has changed
dramatically over the past half century as a result of both the
emergence of married women as a substantial component of the labor
force and an increase in the number of minority workers. The aging of
the population has contributed to this change as well. In this paper,
the authors review the evidence of changing labor force participation
rates, estimate the trends in labor force participation over the past
50 years, and find that aggregate participation has stabilized after a
period of persistent increases. Moreover, they examine the disparate
labor force participation experiences of different demographic
groups. Finally, they survey some of the studies that have provided
explanations for these differences.

Geographic Coverage

Data Collection Notes

(1) A zipped package contains documentation files and
an Excel file which comprises tables and corresponding figures. (2)
These data are part of ICPSR's Publication-Related Archive and are
distributed exactly as they arrived from the data depositor. ICPSR has
not checked or processed this material. Users should consult the
investigators if further information is desired.

Original Release Date

2008-01-10

Version Date

2008-01-10

Notes

These data are flagged as replication datasets and are distributed exactly as they arrived from the data depositor. ICPSR has not checked or processed this material. Users should consult the investigator(s) if further information is desired.

The public-use data files in this collection are available for access by the general public. Access does not require affiliation with an ICPSR member institution.

This study is provided by ICPSR. ICPSR provides leadership and training in data access, curation, and methods of analysis for a diverse and expanding social science research community.